Nintendo Wii U to see Price Cut and new Premium Bundles

If you’ve been holding off on purchasing a Wii U, then this might be the news you’ve been waiting for.

From 20 September, the US will see the price of the Wii U Premium Pack (32 GB) fall from $349.99 to $299.99, with a bundle that includes The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD also going on sale the same day for $299.99.

In the UK it’s a bit of a different story, with Nintendo announcing that they will cut the UK trade price of the Wii U by about £30. However, UK retailers set their own prices, which has previously seen the Wii U drop as much as £100.

The price of the Premium Pack on its own is currently available in the UK for £249.99. From 4 October the same amount of cash will net you a game with your console, with Nintendo launching The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD Premium Pack, which GAME currently have up for pre-order at £249.99. The Wind Waker HD on its own is released the same day and is currently available to pre-order at around £39.99 – £49.99, which would make this particular bundle a good deal.

Two weeks later on 18 October and a Wii U Premium Pack with Lego City: Undercover can also picked up for £249.99.

There also comes news that in the US the Basic 8GB version of the Wii U will no longer be manufactured, with Nintendo intending to focus on the Premium 32 GB iteration. Make of that what you will, but it’s quite likely that any retailers still with the Basic Pack on their shelves could end up selling them at vastly discounted prices come the new year.

Competitively Nintendo’s new pricing would make the Wii U the cheapest of the next generation consoles. Sony’s PlayStation 4 is set to launch on 15 November in the US at $399 and 29 November in the UK at £349. Microsoft’s Xbox One doesn’t have a confirmed release date as of yet, but is expected to launch later this year at a cost of $499 / £429.

Does this news make you more likely to purchase a Wii U? Or will you be saving for a PS4 or Xbox One?